If you're the best poker player at the table, is it still gambling?

Because the word "gambling" - the negative connotation - presumes an overly risky situation, right?

Whereas, buying a house, investing in mutual funds - these are "investments". These are either popular or historically safe enough financial decisions not to be associated with "gambling".

So, at what level of risk should something be considered "gambling" - in the negative sense the word currently conveys?

You are not a coal miner. An 8-hour day is no longer, by definition, twice as valuable as a 4-hour day.

You now live in the knowledge economy. You are judged by the value of your creation. Not the mass of it.